Dot’s 6 Ways To Stop Cravings In Their Tracks!

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Battling cravings for your favorite, but unhealthy treats? Check out some of my tried and true ways of kicking those cravings to the curb! Image courtesy of Stuart Miles and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Battling cravings for your favorite, but unhealthy treats? Check out some of my tried and true ways of kicking those cravings to the curb! Image courtesy of Stuart Miles and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

The worst part of getting back on track after Christmas is the cravings. It takes about 2-3 days for the carb and sugar cravings to go away. I’ve tried different things, but these six little handy tricks tend to help me keep the cravings at bay.

6. Eat (Almost) Like a Hobbit — Hobbits subsist on breakfast, 2nd breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper.  I’m not advocating 7 meals, but eating more often during the day is a craving killer.  Five times a day is a good goal. I eat every 3-5 hours – breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. If I miss a meal, I go astray.  Easily.

5. Tigers May Hate Cinnamon, But You Shouldn’t — Cinnamon normalizes blood sugar levels and results in reducing cravings for the sweeter things in life.  Cinnamon is your friend if you want to prevent insulin spikes.

4. Find a Distraction – Sometimes the cravings hit because I’m bored. I have a few go to activities — jigsaw puzzles, knitting and walking — that take my mind off of any delicious morsel.

3. Chamomile Tea Is Better Than Bacon (at fighting cravings) — Not only is chamomile great at treating cramps, anxiety and insomnia, but a cup after dinner does the trick in reducing cravings for sweets. I always drink when visiting Starbucks!

2. Flossing Is Fun – I started brushing and flossing my teeth after lunch. Not only does sound dental hygiene keep the dentist at bay, but also it eliminates any desire for sweets or salty foods. I mean, name for me food that pairs well with toothpaste.

1. Make It Count! — If you feel deprived you will binge and not be very happy with yourself after. My philosophy is, if I really want chocolate, then I better not waste my time on some crappy, run of the mill candy bar. Nope. I’d rather splurge on a dark chocolate truffle, but just one.  It’s so rich and decadent I can only handle one, but it’s enough to satisfy the itch.

How do you fight your cravings?

H/T to blogger Leanne Nalani who posted a piece about striking a balance between healthy foods and cravings. I suggested a few tricks I use in the comments and then realized it would make a good expanded post on my blog.

Lost 2.5 Inches Since September

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I entered Gold’s Gym 2014 Challenge and weighed in on Saturday. While I wasn’t thrilled with wearing a two-piece for the photo, I was very happy to see I lost some inches since the last time I measured myself.

jan 4 measurement

I lost a total of 2.5 inches. Finally some movement on my thighs – 2 inches down.

As for the inch off my chest, that explains why my sports bras no longer give the support I need.

I think the differences with my hips and waist has more to do with a Gold’s trainer taking my measurements vs. trying to measure myself (not always easy). I’m assuming Gold’s is more accurate.

Gold’s didn’t measure my upper arm, so I did that myself. I plan to have the husband remeasure since I my cat kept tugging on my measuring tape. While I can see more muscle definition, I don’t think I added a half-inch of muscle.

golds frontAbout That Photo…
No, I’m not being held for ransom. I had to hold up Saturday’s Washington Post for proof that I weighed in on January 4th.

For the photo, I opted for shorts and a sports bra. All of my swim suits are too big and workout gear seems more appropriate anyway.

And yes, Gold’s did take a photo of me from behind but I wanted to spare you.

Maybe in 12 weeks, once I have the after photos I’ll share that one.

Weekly Weigh In: Got a Surprise When I Stepped On That Scale

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Thanks to very sore leg muscles I'm retaining water and up just a pound the week after Christmas.

Thanks to very sore leg muscles I’m retaining water and up just a pound the week after Christmas.

I weighed in this morning and expected to see a 5-pound gain (although 10 pounds was in the realm of possibility).  Turns out I’m only up 1 pound and all of that is water weight thanks to my very sore glutes, hamstrings, calves and adductor muscles.

So with my trainer’s killer workout and those blasted awesome burpees I probably lost weight this week but my body hasn’t recovered yet.

Looks like I didn’t go insane over Christmas after all. Yes I ate cookies. But unlike someone who will remain nameless (“cough” husband “cough”), I can count on one hand how many I ate.

Weight Loss Doesn’t Equal Perfection
We talked about perfection in my Weight Watchers meeting today. If a person fears they didn’t do the program perfectly, they tend to skip the meetings because they can’t face the scale.

It is easy to tell yourself, “One small cookie and the week is shot.”

I think I had my own bout with “perfection” in Texas and it lasted until I got on that scale this morning. For a moment I thought about not weighing in today. Oh, I’d go to the meeting but WW does allow you to skip a weigh in during the year.

Thankfully I came to my senses and know where I’m at after the holidays. I wanted to lose another 5 pounds by December 31st. Instead I lost a total of 2.4 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Not perfect, but I’ll take it!

Should I Enter Gold’s 2014 Challenge?

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To enter or not to enter?

To enter or not to enter?

In my push to weigh 200 pounds by the end of April, I’m thinking about entering the Gold’s Gym 2014 Challenge contest. On average people lose 12 pounds and 7.5 inches during the 12 week contest. Not that I expect to win the $75,000 in cash prizes, but it might be the motivational push I need to kick my workouts up a notch.

How Does The Contest Work?
After paying the entry fee, my Gold’s trainer takes my measurements and a  head-to-toe “before” photo. Then 12 weeks later my trainer takes the final measurements and an “after” photo to document the results. Each participating Gold’s picks a male and female winner in 5 different age groups that underwent the most transformation. Those local winners are entered into the national contest.

The key — what I do in those 12 weeks between photos is strictly up to me.

I like the idea of a specific date to work towards. But a date and an after photo makes me work 10 times as hard.

Now, About That Photo…
For women, Gold’s recommends wearing a two piece bathing suit for the photos. Yikes!

That’s the only reason why I’m “thinking” about entering and not actually signing up. The last time I wore a two piece was…well, I can’t remember!

Sigh…Maybe it’s time to stop fearing the two piece.

I’m heading over to they gym in about an hour. The challenge is calling to me.

No guts no glory, right?

Is Eating Low Carb On Simple Start Possible?

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Simple Start

Good news! Simple Start is flexible enough even for a low carb gal like me. I’m giving it a spin for the next two weeks.

The plan was simple — test Weight Watchers’ new Simple Start program over Christmas.  Well a big old monkey wrench called emotional eating was tossed into the works and my plan fell by the wayside.

So what’s a girl to do? Get back on that weight loss horse with Simple Start!

My next Weight Watchers meeting is Saturday morning and right after Simple Start begins. Today I hit the grocery store so I’m working on my new weekly menu.

Breads and Grains and Pastas, Oh My!
At first glance Simple Start doesn’t seem very low carb friendly. In reviewing the meal choices, I noticed that except for 3 salads, every dish includes whole grains. Yikes!

On days without my muscle workouts, I only eat 50g of carbs — the bulk of which are veggies. For strength training days I up my carbs to 100g.

My menu for the 2 weeks I try Simple Start needs to closely follow my workout routine. I started plugging the menus into My Fitness Pal. Sure enough, it will be tough keeping me at 50g of carbs on non-weight training days.

Egads! It Is Low Carb Friendly
Feeling frustrated, I stopped looking at the food photos in my little Simple Start booklet and actually started reading it.

Turns out, it’s pretty low carb friendly after all.

I can make my own meals provided I stick to the Weight Watcher power food list. Power foods fill you up faster, help you stay full and prevent overeating.  As long as I stick to the list, I can stick to my daily carb count and easily do the program.

So What’s My Menu Looking Like?
Since my workouts are in the morning, I’ll need foods higher in carbs for fuel. So I’ll choose from the Weight Watchers suggested breakfast and lunch meals.

Dinner is another story.

I’ll need to come up with my own meals pulling only from the power food list. I’ll just skip the grains section and pick from the veggies (carbs), protein, dairy and healthy fats on the list.

Considering my workout schedule, my first week’s meal plan looks like this:

Day

Workout Routine

Meals
Saturday (50g) Rest day Yogurt, Fruit & Cereal
Cobb Salad
Chicken Parmesan
Sunday(50g) Spin class (60 min) Breakfast pizza
Grilled Cheese & Vegetable Soup
Chili
Monday (100g) Weight training, interval run (35 min), walk (30 min) Oatmeal with Berries
Burger & Sweet Potato Fries
Pork Tenderloin, spinach & roasted vegetables
Tuesday (50g) Spin class (45 min), Yoga (60 min) Yogurt, Fruit & Cereal
Cobb Salad
Cheese Burger (no bun) with side salad
Wednesday (100g) Weight training, interval run (35 min), walk (30 min) Oatmeal with Berries
Burger & Sweet Potato Fries
Chicken breast,  asparagus & side salad
Thursday (50g) Spin class (45 min), Yoga (60 min) Breakfast pizza
Cobb Salad
Couscous with chicken & vegetables
Friday (100g) weight training, yoga (60 min) Oatmeal with Berries
Loaded baked potato & vegetable soup
Cobb Salad

Vegetables with hummus, vegetable soup and Greek yogurt with berries make up my snacks.

It may not look like a lot of variety, but I mix it up with the types of veggies and berries I use in dishes. Chicken breasts and ground beef are staples in our home and I tend to cook the meat on the weekend to save time during the week.

Plus my husband is kick starting his weight loss by going super low carb (20g/day). A limited menu makes it easier for me to change the meals to keep him on track.

Thankfully there is a lot of wiggle room with Simple Start that gives me the flexibility to keep up my low carb lifestyle. I’m looking forward to testing out the meal options and pairing the food choices with my workout routines.

Time to start making the grocery list.

Here’s To Seeing Less Of Me In 2014

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weight loss goals, setting weight loss goals, nutrition goals, fitness goals

No resolutions for me. I prefer setting measurable goals! Image courtesy of chanpipat and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

The other night I not only said goodbye to 2013 but also 48 pounds. Since my weight loss journey began nearly two years ago, I’ve lost more than 25% of my body weight.

Wow…88 pounds total. Sweet!

Time to kiss the rest of the fat goodbye.

I don’t do resolutions. Resolutions are too vague and I never keep any of them.

But I do believe in setting measurable goals. Below are my weight loss, exercise and personal goals for 2014.

Weight Loss
Goal 1: Lose 37 pounds by the end of April
Why 37 pounds? That’s what I need to lose to weigh 200 pounds, a number I haven’t seen on the scale for more than 15 years. When you read my exercise goals, you’ll see why I picked the end of April.

That means dropping roughly 2 pounds a week for the next 17 weeks. Tough but doable.

Goal 2: Reach my goal weight by December 31
That’s a bold goal if I do say so myself. But when I started my journey in 2012, I always thought it would take 3 years to lose the weight.  My 5-month plateau in 2013 makes that tough, but I’m up for the challenge.

After reaching 200 pounds by the end of April, I’ll have 8 months to shed another 60 pounds. That’s a little less than 2 pounds a week.

Exercise
Goal 1: Run in four 5Ks in 2014, the first being at the end of April.
The end of April is the Brambleton 5K. Brambleton was the first 5K I walked in so it’s only fitting that I run it.

I’m still working on my interval training and now I have an actual date to work towards.

Goal 2: Complete the 30-Day Push-Up Challenge by March
I hate push-ups. I really do.

My first attempt at the 30-Day Push Up Challenge I quickly realized I had no upper body strength. Now that I’m lifting weights, I’ve got my sights set on beating my old foe.

Goal 3: Go on a 3-day bike tour of Virginia wine country
It’s no secret I love my cycling class. And I’m itching to take my bike out for a spin. I recently discovered a group that offers bike tours of Virginia’s beautiful wine country. The weekend tour I spied is 70 miles long, roughly 25 – 30 miles a day.

During the winter I plan to keep up with my spin class 3 times a week. Once spring hits, I need to take advantage of all the bike paths in our area, especially the 18-mile Mount Vernon and the 45-mile W&OD bike paths.

If I can bike the full Mount Vernon trail (36 miles round trip) by early summer, then I can reserve my spot for a fall tour.

Personal
Goal 1: Learn to sew!
I got a sewing machine last Christmas and it’s still in a box. There’s a fabric store a few blocks away that offers classes. It’s time to break that bad boy out of the box and get some mad sewing skills!

Goal 2:  Canning!
I’m reading a lot about micro farming. Well I don’t have the land to farm now (oh, but I will one day), but I can still learn how to can foods. We have the gear (again, another 2012 gift from my husband…I’m a bad wife). When the farmers’ markets open in spring, I’m going to try my hand at making jams, canning tomatoes and pickling cucumbers.

Time to make 2014 a busy and awesome year!

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Testing Weight Watcher’s Simple Start Over The Holidays

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Simple Start

Weight Watchers just rolled out its new Simple Start program. I’m giving it a spin for the next two weeks.

I’m convinced that eating healthy on the road is possible. It just takes a bit of effort and planning. To help me out, I decided to give Weight Watcher’s new Simple Start program a try over the holidays.

It’s a 2-week starter plan where you choose from a list of meals and snacks suggested by Weight Watchers. The meals focus on power foods – vegetables, veggies, and lean meats.  Power foods fill you up faster and help you stay full over time. So the program doesn’t focus too much on tracking or portions (except for healthy oils and the indulgence foods that made the list).

Minor Concerns With Simple Start
As for portions, the program is geared towards a 10-inch plate, 12-oz bowl and a 12-oz glass. These are your guides and not the standard measuring.

Hmmmm…that’s nice, but I’m going to stick to measuring. It’s a good habit I got into and I don’t want to break it after two weeks of this program.

Simple Start meals

Simple Start provide meal and snack options to choose from. I plan to avoid the high carb meals.

The other area I’m concerned with is amount of high-carb whole grains, pastas and breads in many of the meal options. Yes, I’m doing Weight Watchers, but I’m also counting my carbs. Carbs trigger a rise in insulin, which in turn stores the fat in cells. Since pasta, breads and most grains are trigger foods for me, I’m avoiding them, unless I eat them right after a muscle workout.

Even then, I’m limiting my choices to steel-cut oatmeal, quinoa, bulgur or barley. No rice. And absolutely no pasta.

Indulgence Points
The only points I’ll track are the “indulgence” foods. Little things like chocolate or wine. On Simple Start you’re allowed just 7 points of indulgence foods. Any extra food I eat or if I swap out ingredients in the recipes for items not on the approved list are counted towards those 7 points.

Basically Weight Watchers took the 49 weekly allowance points and broke them up across a week.

This is a toughy!  I use regular cheese and butter on the PointsPlus plan. I’d rather spend my points on the real stuff. It helps me feel satiated. Low fat foods, loaded with carbs, don’t fill me up. A big no-no for me.

I’ll need to watch my cheese intake for the next couple of weeks.

Simple Start App
The program includes an app. While I’ve set up my log in, I haven’t explored it just yet. I begin Simple Start on Saturday so I’ll start playing with the app later in the week. I’ve got too many things to do before our trip and getting sidetracked by another app won’t help.

Initial Thoughts
After sitting through the meeting where our leader went over the new program, I must admit I had serious misgivings about it.

I get the need to make a weight loss program as easy as possible for people, but not so easy that it requires no thought.

Losing weight is hard work. If it wasn’t no one would talk about an obesity epidemic in our country.

But weight loss is 95% mental. I don’t mean will power (there is no such thing). There is a huge learning curve to losing weight. You need to know why portion control is important, recognize that not all calories are equal, and grasp why we get fat in the first place.

Tracking what you eat is a big part of that earning curve.

Since I’ve had a few days to look over the Simple Start materials, I’m a little more open to the idea.

  • It’s designed as a starter program. If it helps someone take those first steps on their weight loss journey, that’s a very good thing.
  • If you’re stuck on a plateau, this is a great little shock to the system to give your body the push it needs.
  • If you are looking for a super easy program to help you drop the pounds, I’m sure this fits the bill. But will you keep it off? Hmmmm.

I’m giving Simple Start a try. I’ll post reviews of the recipes as I go along and of the program at the end of my 2-weeks.

Who knows, Simple Start might make me a believer.

 

Holiday Cheer: Down 1.2 Pounds This Week

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Even with the holidays, I'm still losing weight. I need to continue with the food and exercise plan for December.

Even with the holidays, I’m still losing weight. I need to continue with the food and exercise plan for December.

Woohoo! My weight loss this holiday season continues. I dropped 1.2 pounds this week. That puts my total weight loss at 87.2 pounds.

So far this holiday season, I’ve lost 3.4 pounds and I’d love to lose 5 more to hit my revised 3-month goal. Tomorrow’s spin class can’t get here soon enough!

My Body Mass Index went from 52.5 two years ago to 38.4 today. And my makeover clothes are fitting a little looser.  Sweet!

On Monday I take new body measurements. While I love seeing smaller numbers for my hips and waist, I really want movement in my legs and arms.

Today is a great day!

 

Water Weight Vanquished; Finally Below 240 Pounds

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The water weight is gone and I'm now officially below 240 pounds!

I controlled my eating on Thanksgiving and my water weight is gone. I’m now officially below 240 pounds!

While I attended my Weight Watchers meeting last week, I decided to use my free pass and not officially weigh-in. While I didn’t over do it on Thanksgiving, I suspected I’d show a lot of water retention with all that tasty turkey day sodium. Sure enough, when I got home from that meeting, I stepped on my home scale and saw a 6 pound gain.

No one gains 6 pounds in one day. More water weight. Basically I needed to flush the excess water and salt out of my system before getting a more accurate weigh-in.

I worked hard this week to stay on my food and exercise program.

The result? I’m down 2.2 pounds from my earlier weigh-in.  Awesome! That damn water weight is finally gone (for now).

What makes me happy is that I’m finally below 240 pounds. Woohoo!

I know I dropped below 240 a few weeks before Thanksgiving. I just couldn’t let myself get too excited until that holiday was firmly in my rear view mirror.  I needed a post holiday weigh-in for confirmation.

Missing My 3-Month Goal
I’m not going to reach my 3-month goal of dropping about 20 pounds before the end of the year. I’m not being  pessimistic, just realistic. I’d have to lose 14 pounds in 3 weeks. That’s nearly 5 pounds a week…not very healthy (or smart!).

Am I disappointed? Sure, but I was overly aggressive in setting that goal mid way through October. But I’m not beating myself up over it.

Besides, I’m happy I controlled myself over Thanksgiving.  That gives me a lot of optimism for the rest of December.

I’m revamping my expectations and shooting for 6 more pounds by the end of the year. Still a tall order considering 2 pounds a week is at the top of the range for healthy weight loss.

I think an extra spin class can help.

Spinning Monkey On My Back

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spinning class, fitness

Don’t think I’m addicted to cycling? Well I just picked up a pair of cycling shoes. Tomorrow I’m installing the cleats so i can clamp my shoe on the pedal. Oh, the spinning addiction is real!

Well my November Fitness Challenge – 2 spin classes/week – may be over, but I can’t stop spinning! It’s official. I’m addicted to that damn cycling class.

How bad is it? After the first two weeks of my challenge, it was clear those 2 classes per week weren’t enough. To get my fix I’m now doing 4 classes a week.  Heck, I did back-to-back classes Sunday morning.

I leave each class feeling exhausted and amazing.  No other exercise – weight training, yoga, walking/running – makes me feel the way I do after spinning.  There are five things that make spinning awesomely great.

1. I’m In Control
Yes, I follow the instructor. But I’m in complete control when it comes to setting pace or the resistance levels. I’m pushing myself as much as possible, but when fatigue hits (and it does) then I can slow my speed or my tension until I’m able to catch up. Sure I’m in a class, but it’s my own personal workout.

2. I Feel The Difference In My Runs
Since I started cycling, I’ve noticed a difference in my 5k-interval training. I’m a little faster, I’m not as winded after a session, my legs feel stronger and my knees recover much faster.

3. Spinning Kicks Everyone’s A$$
Doesn’t matter if you are overweight or buff, spinning is an equal opportunity destroyer. When I walked into my first spin class, I felt self-conscious. I found a bike in a corner in the back of the room. For some bizarre reason I thought people would watch the fat chick trying to pedal. Ha! When spinning, folks are doing their own thing. You have no idea what resistance levels your classmates are using. Plus everyone gets fatigued and lightens the tension settings…everyone, including the instructors.

4. I Love The Group Environment
Most group exercises I can do without. I find them boring.  I’ve had the complete opposite experience with my spin classes. There’s so much excitement and energy in the class it feeds your workout.

5. Awesome Music
I know nothing about newer music. With few exceptions, if it’s after 1995 I won’t have a clue. Spin class has introduced me to some great new music like…well, I can’t name the artists, but I’ve liked what I’ve heard. Occasionally my ears bleed from the catwallering of a Katy Perry song.  For those, I tune out the “singing” and focus on the beat. My weekend spin classes find me singing along at the top of my lungs to the best classic rock mixes – Zeppelin, Rush, Skynyrd, U2, Motown. Just brilliant.

What’s your workout addiction?

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